13 Things Every Kid Did with a VHS Tape
These VHS habits were second nature to every kid growing up in the era of chunky tapes and Friday night rentals.
- Daisy Montero
- 4 min read
Before streaming took over, there was the VHS tape — and it ruled our childhood. It was a time when a tape popping out too soon could ruin your night, and the static tracking lines were your sworn enemy. This list walks through all the weird, funny, and oddly universal things kids did with VHS tapes.
1. Wore Out the Fast-Forward Button
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If a movie had one funny scene, you probably skipped the rest just to rewatch that part ten times. You became a fast-forward pro, guessing the exact moment it would hit. The tape hated you for it, but you didn’t care.
2. Used a Pencil to Rewind It
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When the VCR failed or the tape jammed, a pencil became the unsung hero. You’d twist it into the reel like a mini mechanic fixing a car. Somehow, it always worked better than the actual machine.
3. Decorated the Case Like It Was a Diary
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Sticker books met VHS cases, and chaos followed. You labeled tapes with glitter pens, stickers, and sometimes even a fake movie title for flair. Those plastic sleeves were blank canvases for your creativity.
4. Made a Tape Tower You Were Weirdly Proud Of
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Tapes didn’t belong in drawers; they belonged on display like trophies. You’d stack them into tall, uneven towers just to admire your collection. They always leaned a bit, but that was part of the charm.
5. Pretended to Be a Video Store Clerk
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Your room was Blockbuster in disguise. You’d lend out tapes to friends, demand they “rewind it,” and maybe even write due dates on them. It made watching movies feel like a full-blown operation.
6. Hit Eject Way Too Early
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Every kid did it — pressed eject before the tape was done rewinding. That aggressive clunk was your VCR crying for help. Sometimes you even had to jam it back in like nothing happened.
7. Recorded Over Something Important
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One wrong button press, and Dad’s wedding video was gone forever. You meant to tape cartoons, but ended up erasing someone’s precious memory. That red “REC” dot had way too much power.
8. Played a Tape So Much It Got Fuzzy
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You knew a movie was loved when the picture started looking like static soup. Rewinding and replaying your favorite scene didn’t just leave a mark; it left a glitch. That glitch became part of the memory.
9. Hid the Rented Tape to Avoid Returning It
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You couldn’t bear the thought of parting ways with Space Jam or The Little Mermaid. Hence, you “lost” it for a few days… or weeks. That late fee was totally worth it.
10. Got Scared When the Tape Made Weird Noises
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That whirring and clicking meant one thing: your tape might be toast. You’d hover near the VCR like a surgeon mid-surgery, hoping the movie played anyway. If it jammed, you blamed the VCR, not your thousand replays.
11. Made a “Mix Tape” by Recording TV Shows
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You became your own TV network, recording random shows into one weird, magical tape. Commercials, theme songs, and cliffhangers all jammed into one chaotic reel. It was messy — but you knew every second of it.
12. Tried to Fix a Tape with Scotch Tape
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When a tape broke, you turned into a VHS surgeon. You’d line up the film and patch it with scotch tape like it was a wound. It worked kinda — but the movie never played the same again.
13. Left It in the Sun and Regretted Everything
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You left it on the dashboard, and it came back warped and crispy. That tape became more of an abstract art piece than a movie. Lesson learned: VHS tapes hated sunlight as much as gremlins hated water.